The website is a professional procurement platform. Simply connect project owners in NSW, Australia with verified building design consultants - 26/02/2026 17:08 EST

TECHNICAL PROJECT BRIEF
ConsultHUB – NSW Construction Consultant Procurement Platform

1- PROJECT SUMMARY

ConsultHUB is a NSW-focused online procurement platform connecting property owners and developers with verified construction consultants (architects, engineers, planners, building designers).

The platform will operate as:

Membership-based consultant directory

Paid project listing system

Tender invitation & proposal submission portal

Secure communication platform

Phase 1 launch: NSW only.
Platform must be scalable for future national expansion.


2- PLATFORM ARCHITECTURE
Recommended Stack (Open to Alternatives)

WordPress (latest stable version)

Custom theme (or Astra/Kadence base with custom development)

Elementor Pro (or equivalent page builder)

Membership plugin (MemberPress / Paid Memberships Pro)

Directory system (GeoDirectory / Toolset / Custom Post Type)

Advanced Forms (Gravity Forms preferred)

Stripe integration (recurring + one-time payments)

Secure hosting (VPS or managed WordPress hosting)

Developers may propose alternative architecture if justified.


3- USER ROLES & PERMISSIONS
A. Consultant (Paid Membership Role)

Capabilities:

Create and edit profile

Upload credentials (PDF/images)

Select service categories

Select NSW regions served

View active tenders (based on membership level)

Submit proposals

Access private messaging

Manage subscription (upgrade/downgrade/cancel)

View invoice/payment history

Membership tiers restrict:

Number of tenders accessible

Directory ranking priority

Feature visibility

B. Client (Project Owner Role)

Capabilities:

Create account

Submit project (custom post type)

Upload drawings/documents

Pay project listing fee

Receive proposals

Message consultants

Manage active projects

Close project

C. Admin Role

Capabilities:

Approve/reject consultant registrations

Review uploaded insurance & registration documents

Approve/reject project listings

Suspend users

Override subscription status

Feature profiles manually

View analytics

Access messaging logs (optional moderation control)

4- CORE FUNCTIONAL MODULES
MODULE 1: CONSULTANT DIRECTORY

Custom Post Type: “Consultants”

Features:

Search by keyword

Filter by:

Discipline

Region (NSW subregions)

Project type (Residential/Commercial/Industrial)

Years of experience

Sort by:

Featured

Newest

Alphabetical

Profile pages with:

Company details

About

Services offered

Regions covered

Portfolio gallery

Insurance confirmation badge

“Invite to Tender” button

Must be SEO indexable.

MODULE 2: PROJECT LISTING SYSTEM

Custom Post Type: “Projects”

Project Form Fields:

Project title

Location (postcode + region)

Project type

Estimated construction value

Services required (multi-select)

Timeline

Budget range

File uploads (drawings, PDFs)

Description

Workflow:

Client submits project

Payment required before publishing

Admin approval (optional)

Project visible to eligible consultants

Consultants submit proposals

MODULE 3: PROPOSAL SUBMISSION SYSTEM

Each proposal should include:

Fee estimate

Scope summary

Timeline

Attachment upload

Message to client

Proposals must be:

Private (visible only to client & submitting consultant)

Stored in dashboard

Not publicly searchable

MODULE 4: SUBSCRIPTION & PAYMENT SYSTEM

Payment Gateway: Stripe

Requirements:

Recurring monthly subscriptions

Annual subscription option

Automatic renewals

Prorated upgrades/downgrades

Failed payment handling

Email receipts

Tax/GST configuration

Secure PCI compliance via Stripe

Membership Tiers:

Standard

Premium

Enterprise

Each tier controls:

Tender access volume

Profile visibility

Featured badge

Directory ranking

MODULE 5: DASHBOARDS
Consultant Dashboard:

Profile management

Active tenders

Submitted proposals

Messages

Subscription status

Invoice history

Client Dashboard:

Active projects

Received proposals

Messages

Payment history

Close project function

Must be intuitive and mobile responsive.

MODULE 6: MESSAGING SYSTEM

Requirements:

Private messaging between client & consultant

Thread-based communication

Email notifications

Stored in user dashboard

Secure and non-public

No direct email exposure

5- SEO & PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

Clean URL structure

Custom meta fields for directory pages

Schema markup (Organisation, Local Business, Service)

Fast load time (under 3 seconds preferred)

Optimised image compression

Caching system

XML sitemap

Indexable consultant profiles

NSW region landing pages

6- SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

SSL certificate

Wordfence or equivalent firewall

Daily automated backups

File upload restrictions

Role-based access control

GDPR & Australian Privacy compliance

Anti-spam measures

7- SCALABILITY REQUIREMENTS

Must allow:

Addition of new states

Additional membership tiers

Commission-based model in future

API integration capability

Potential mobile app integration later

8- ADMIN PANEL REQUIREMENTS

Admin must easily:

Feature consultants

Edit listings

Control homepage sections

Export user data

View revenue reports

Manage refund requests

Adjust subscription pricing

9- DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

Corporate / professional aesthetic

Neutral colour scheme (Navy / Charcoal / White)

Clean typography

Not resembling contractor marketplace

Clear hierarchy and call-to-action

Fully responsive (mobile-first design)

10 - EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

Full working website (staging + live)

Payment integration configured

Membership logic tested

Admin training (video or documentation)

30–60 days post-launch support

Clear plugin documentation

Handover access credentials



QUOTE REQUEST DETAILS

Please provide:

Total development cost

Breakdown by module (if possible)

Timeline (MVP launch estimate)

Ongoing maintenance cost

Hosting recommendations

Third-party plugin licensing costs

Assumptions made

PROJECT OBJECTIVE

To build a scalable, secure and professional procurement platform for NSW construction consultants that generates recurring subscription revenue and paid project listings.